Bonding
by G'reth the Air Dragon
Summary: It was another day in the wastelands when lil' Marceline discovers something in an abandoned store... (Fluff fic)


**A/N: Okay, so while I don't quite consider myself a huge fan of Adventure Time, I have to admit that the show is surprisingly well thought out considering that at first glance it seems silly. The more I learned about it, the more I became interested in certain things. This is a little cute fic that I wrote to sorta add a little more to the father-daughter like relationship that Simon (aka Ice King) and Marceline shared when everything was still in ruins and whatnot. I hope you all enjoy my little attempt, and please leave a review to let me know what you think! Especially since I have a hard time writing little kids and how they talk. XwX**

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"Simon, look at this!"

Blinking in confusion, Simon turned his attention in the direction of the voice and found himself giving a warm smile at the sight. "Haha, where'd you find that, Marceline?" he asked as the little girl toddled over to him, kneeling down to get a closer look at her.

"I found it over by that building," she told him as she turned and pointed over at a run-down beauty salon. "It was filled with all these weird boxes with pretty colors."

Smiling, he reached down and took the offered container from her. "This is called '_make up_'," he told her. "It's what older girls wear to make themselves look pretty."

"Will it make me look pretty too?" she asked him curiously.

"Oh, Marceline, you're already pretty," Simon said with a smile. "You don't need to change your appearance."

The pale skinned girl tilted her head to the side, blinking up at him with wide black eyes. Then, she smiled up at him and asked, "Can I try some anyway?"

Simon couldn't stop himself from smiling even wider, his eyes full of warm tenderness for the small child. "Hmmm...oh, why not?" he chuckled, opening the small container and finding some beautiful colors inside. "I'll tell you what...I'll try some with you!"

"Yay!" Marceline cheered happily, throwing her arms in the air as she jumped to hug his neck. After dangling for a moment, she dropped down and grinned up at him. "What do I need to do?"

Glancing around for a moment, Simon spotted a small box near a river and pointed at it. "Why don't you go ahead and have a seat over there?" he told her. "I'll start putting the makeup on when you're settled."

With a grin that threatened to split her face in half, she hurried on over to the indicated box and sat down. Her feet kicked a little in excitement as he came over, taking the tiny brush inside and rubbing it inside one of the slots. Taking the dusty brush, he leaned in and said, "Okay, now close your eyes and I'll put some of this over your eyelids."

She did as he told her, still smiling excitedly. With careful precision, he lightly ran the brush over the soft skin, taking care to not apply too much pressure. Slowly, bit by bit, he applied the mascara to her eyes, leaning back and pretending that he was a painter-much to the little girl's amusement when she peeked out at him with one eye.

"There!" he finally said, smiling at his handiwork. "Finally finished."

"How do I look?" she asked, pressing her hands against her cheeks as she practically vibrated with excitement.

Chuckling at her in amusement, he said, "Why don't you see for yourself? You have a mirror right next to you."

Eagerly jumping to her feet, Marceline moved over to the river and knelt down. She gasped a little, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the sparkly blue makeup around her eyes. "Oh wow," she uttered quietly. "I'm...pretty."

Reaching down to rub the top of her head, Simon said, "You've always been a pretty little girl, Marceline. But you don't need to wear makeup to prove that. Just be yourself, and no matter what happens, you will always be beautiful...both on the inside, and on the outside."

"You really think so, Simon?" she asked, looking up at him with innocent eyes.

Brushing away a strand of hair that got in her face, Simon nodded. "I know so," he told her.

Smiling happily, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his chest. Though surprised, Simon nevertheless returned the hug and smiled. Marceline could feel the chill of his skin against hers, but she didn't mind. Vampires didn't feel cold like others did...at least, that's what she'd been told.

But at this moment, all she could feel—all she wanted to feel—was the warm love from the father-like figure holding her close.

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**A/N: Incredibly short, I know, but hey, what can I say? It was just a little one-shot experiment...and plus, I needed to add something to my account to show I'm not dead. =w= So since I had a somewhat crappy evening, I figured I'd post some cuteness to make myself feel better. X3 Hope you guys enjoyed!**


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